Kurt Busch Wins His 1st Daytona 500 After Other Leaders Run Out Of Gas

Kurt Busch made a furious dash to the finish line to win his first Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Sunday afternoon. A three-time runner-up in previous years, Busch charged past leader Kyle Larson, who ran out of fuel on the final lap of the legendary, season-opening race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Many drivers on the lead lap were very close to using all of their fuel. Pole winner Chase Elliott led many of the final 30 laps and seemed to have the race won, but he ran out of gas with less than three laps remaining.

Busch led only one lap: the one that ended with the waving of the checkered flag. Ryan Blaney finished second, with AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola and Paul Menard rounding out the top five.

Crashes prevented many of NASCAR’s most recognizable names from winning on Sunday. Drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were all knocked out in early to mid-race wrecks.

A slight wrinkle in this year’s NASCAR races awards points to drivers who lead at various stages of the race. Stage winners received 10 regular season points and one playoff bonus point, while the top-10 finishers received points from 10-to-1 in reverse order of their finish.

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series continues next Sunday in Atlanta.